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24 September 2014
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A little bit of politics? It never really influenced your music did it?
Claire: Well, coming from Scotland everyone voted Labour anyway. I was shocked when I first came to London to meet young people who actually voted Tory. I hated that ‘Greed Is Good’ ethic of the ‘80s. But then the band didn’t really have a political message. I wouldn’t have known how to include politics in our music anyway. We left it to the Sex Pistols to make the big statements. But two of the guys in the band, their dads were Scottish Labour MPs. We were ‘political’ without being political as a band.

Was there any discrimination towards women in the industry back then?
Claire: Women were treated as a bit of a novelty in the music business back in 1981. There was a certain dismissiveness about female performers. But to be honest I wasn’t desperate to be taken seriously. I didn’t give a toss what people thought of me. I just wanted to enjoy myself and have a good time. I didn’t examine anything too deeply.

So, you’re on the Here and Now tour this Christmas. Sad ‘80s novelty act time or the start of a comeback?
Claire: To be honest, I couldn’t have imagined doing this tour a few years ago. My life is very different now to 18 years ago. I have a successful career in acting. I’m married to Shawn who used to be a guitarist in the band. Next year I’m starring in this British movie, a psychological thriller called 10am which is exciting. But to be honest it’s just ego making me do this tour. The promoter persuaded me and I couldn’t resist the chance of playing Wembley Arena. We didn’t play there the first time. I was reluctant at first but then I spoke to Kim Wilde and she said don’t worry about it, just enjoy it. I’m only doing four songs, 'Happy Birthday', 'I Could Be Happy', 'Don’t Talk', 'See Those Eyes'. It’s hardly a gruelling routine each night!

So you’re not worried that this tour might diminish the legacy of the mighty Images?
Claire:
You know what? I’m 40 years old now and I really don’t bother with things like that. It doesn’t matter. I’ve always had a tendency to over analyse things. It’s a chance to relive a great moment in my life and you shouldn’t take pop music too seriously. It’s all nonsense anyway!

Simply Red
"That's a bit supermarket, isn't it. I'm not making that many bottles. "
Robin Gibb
"There's been great moments both as a songwriter and as a performer."
Paul Roberts - The Stranglers
"We certainly weren't going to call ourselves The Bay City Rollers."
Lisa Stansfield
"I just thought, how many times do I have to sing this song?"
Soft Cell
"I think it's the only time that a banjo's been played in the Ministry of Sound."
Erasure
"Agnetha said she liked it. If I met them I would curtsey."
INXS
"We really surprised lots of people by simply hanging in there."
Kim Wilde
"I used to be really jealous of Claire Grogan...I thought she was gorgeous."
Dollar
"Failure was not an option, we were materialistic and greed was good."
Human League
"We did a US tour with Culture Club and Howard Jones...solely for the cash."
Altered Images
"Women were treated as a bit of a novelty in the music business in 1981."
Belle Stars
"The pop music lark just seems like a lifetime away now."
Steve Strange
"Look, you’re playing me like a bitchy queen and I’m not like that."
Five Star
"We all grew up wanting to be famous and we lived our dream..."
Phillip from Ruby Flipper
"At my age, I'd find it difficult to get my legs where they used to go..."
Glen Campbell
"I got to work with literally everyone in the business; Nat King Cole, Sinatra..."
David Gray
"Lots of tension in the camp. We're battling Gareth Gates for the No.1 spot"
Robert Palmer
"There's this homegenised force feeding of what is hip."
Marilyn
"I think George manipulated our relationship for publicity"
Tom Jones
"I'm pulling all my old jewellery out now and comparing my rings with Wyclef"
Ruth From Pan's People
"I could show you dozens of times I forgot the moves..."
Badly Drawn Boy
"Everybody has to do what everybody else does in order to have a hit single"
John Otway
"I think the music business is probably not happy with what we've done..."
Jimmy Cliff
"I look at someone like Ms Dynamite, I come away with a positive feeling."
Human League
"We wouldn't trust anyone that didn't wear eyeliner."
Status Quo
"I probably went about four or five years with a pair of stage jeans"
Gary Numan
"There are so many things in my past that you could make fun of."
McAlmont and Butler
"We were big enough to get over any-thing that may have been exchanged."
Primal Scream
"The producer at the time told us we'd never work again."
Oasis
"I prefer miming, I prefer if we weren’t playing live."


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